Carmelo Flores Laura is pretty sure he "should be about 100 years old or more." But, according to Bolivia's public records, he was born July 16, 1890, and turned 123 last month. If that's accurate, he's the oldest person to ever shake a cane at meddling kids. A lifetime of chewing coca leaf is apparently the key to longevity, though Flores also credits his active lifestyle. "I walk a lot, that's all. I go out with the animals," the cattle and sheep herder said. If he really is as old as his birth certificate suggests, Flores beats Jeanne Calment, who holds the current Guinness record for oldest verified age. She died in 1997 after 122 years and 164 days.